I have tutored several adults in English as a Second Language through WyzAnt. Over the past year, I have also led an enjoyable, weekly, two-hour adult ESL conversation group at the Brooklyn Public Library. These experiences have some things in common, two of which I'll share here.
The best ESL activities ask students to use more than one of the “Four Skills”: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An exercise might focus on one of these skills, such as speaking. However, if another skill, perhaps reading, is also involved, students learn more quickly. This "integrated skills" approach...